[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H51-H53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING MARK INGRAM ON WINNING THE 2009 HEISMAN TROPHY
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 970) congratulating Flint native, University of
Alabama sophomore, and running back Mark Ingram on winning the 2009
Heisman Trophy and honoring both his athletic and academic
achievements.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 970
Whereas Mark Ingram was raised in Flint, Michigan;
Whereas Mark Ingram attended Grand Blanc Community High
School and Flint Southwestern Academy, where he distinguished
himself as a running back and cornerback;
Whereas Mark Ingram was a 4-year starter in high school,
and rushed for 4,926 yards and 58 touchdowns in his final 2
seasons;
Whereas, during his high school football career, Mark
Ingram was honored with the Saginaw Valley MVP Award, named
Area Player of the Year, and was an All-State selection;
Whereas, in 2009, Mark Ingram led the University of Alabama
to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship and rushed
113 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in the championship game;
Whereas, in 2009, Mark Ingram broke the University of
Alabama single-season rushing record with 1,542 yards, was
named the SEC offensive player of the year, scored 18 total
touchdowns, and finished the season with 322 receiving yards;
Whereas, in 2009, Mark Ingram was named an All SEC First
Team Selection, a Walter Camp 1st team All-American, and an
American Football Coaches Association All-American;
Whereas Mark Ingram is the first Heisman Trophy winner from
the University of Alabama;
Whereas Mark Ingram is only the third sophomore in history
to win the Heisman Trophy;
Whereas Mark Ingram has made the Dean's List at the
University of Alabama;
Whereas Mark Ingram's Heisman win brings tremendous pride
to his hometown of Flint, Michigan;
Whereas, December 12, 2009, has been declared Mark Ingram
Day in the City of Flint;
Whereas the sport of football is an important national
pastime that helps foster teamwork, leadership skills,
sportsmanship, and camaraderie; and
Whereas football can help build self-esteem and promote
exercise and a more active and healthy lifestyle: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates
Flint native and running back Mark Ingram on winning the 2009
Heisman Trophy and honors both his athletic and academic
achievements.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Kildee) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res.
970 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of House Resolution 970, honoring Mark
Ingram, 2009 Heisman Trophy winner and pride of my hometown, Flint,
Michigan.
Madam Speaker, with an unemployment rate of close to 30 percent,
Flint has been going through some tough times. Our young people need a
role model they can look up to, someone who can show them that through
hard work and perseverance their dreams are within reach and that
greatness can be achieved.
Madam Speaker, Mark Ingram is that inspiration for our community.
Since he began his football career in Grand Blanc Community High School
and Flint Southwestern Academy where he was a 4-year starter and
distinguished himself as a running back and a cornerback, he has
continuously excelled.
This season, Mark broke the University of Alabama single season
rushing record with 1,542 yards, was named the Southeastern Conference
offensive player of the year, scored 18 touchdowns and finished one
season with 322 receiving yards. He led his team to the SEC
championship, rushing for 113 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the
championship game.
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He is the first Heisman winner from the University of Alabama and
only the third sophomore in history to win the Heisman Trophy. Just
last Thursday, Mark led the Alabama Crimson Tide to the national
championship and was named the game's offensive most valuable player.
Beyond his athletic accomplishments, Mark is a dean's list student at
the University of Alabama where he is pursuing a degree in
communications.
Madam Speaker, I introduced H. Res. 970 to congratulate Mark on all
his remarkable achievements, and I am pleased to call Mark Ingram the
pride of Flint. I urge immediate passage of this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I appreciate the gentleman from Flint here today, and I know the
people of the State of Alabama appreciate having Mark Ingram in their
State and going to school at the university. I rise today to support
this House resolution, congratulating the Flint native Mark Ingram,
University of Alabama sophomore and running back, on winning the 2009
Heisman Trophy, honoring both his athletic and academic achievements.
And that's important. The idea to award the most outstanding college
football player was originally conceived by members of the Downtown
Athletic Club who appointed a club trophy committee charged with
conducting the first award presentation at the conclusion of the 1935
football season. In 1936, following the death of John W. Heisman, the
Downtown Athletic Club trophy renamed the award the Heisman award.
On Saturday, December 12, 2009, University of Alabama student and
running back Mark Ingram was elected as the 75th winner of the Heisman
Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding college football player in the
United States for 2009. This season, Mark rushed 249 times for 1,542
yards with 15 touchdowns, while catching 30 passes for 322 yards,
leading Alabama to an undefeated regular season and a number one
national ranking.
Mark was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year as well as the SEC
Offensive Player of the Year, and his rushing total established a
single season record at Alabama. Mark has been recognized as a superior
college football player, but his team and coaches also deserve
recognition. Ingram is the University of Alabama's first Heisman Trophy
winner.
The team's head coach, Nick Saban, and all Alabama fans share in
Ingram's excitement. On January 7, led by Coach Saban, the University
of Alabama football team enjoyed the perfect end to a perfect season,
winning the BCS championship game against the University of Texas. Mark
was recognized as offensive MVP of the national championship game,
running 116 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Just 6 months ago, Mark was a new starting running back, not the
household name that he is today. Watching Mark deliver his humble and
heartfelt acceptance speech gave us all insight into this outstanding
young man and student athlete that Mark truly is. His dedication to the
team and school as well as his hard work is the reason he received this
exceptional award.
In his acceptance speech when he received the Heisman Trophy, he
congratulated his offensive line, and I have a special connection
there. I had a classmate from high school that I graduated with whose
son was on the offensive line. I graduated with the young man's father.
His mother is a friend of mine as well, and his family is a close
friend of mine. His name is Barrett Jones. So we congratulate them. As
any running back knows, that's why you win Heisman Trophies, because
you have a great offensive line.
People that I know that are close to the University of Alabama
football program talk about what an outstanding young man Mark Ingram
is. He is not just great on the football field, but he is great on the
campus. He represents the university well, and he represents Flint,
Michigan, well by not just by being a great running back but by being a
great person.
I extend my congratulations to Mark Ingram, to Head Coach Saban, to
the players and the fans, to the University of Alabama; and I ask my
colleagues to support this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus)
such time as he may consume.
Mr. BACHUS. Madam Speaker, I commend Mark Ingram. The whole State of
Alabama is very proud of Mark and Flint, Michigan. The State of
Michigan I know is very proud of their native son, and they should be.
I commend Congressman Kildee for bringing this resolution. The State of
Michigan has overcome many challenges, and I think it's fitting that
Mark Ingram comes from a State that has overcome so many challenges.
I rise to recognize Mark Ingram as representing the citizens of
Alabama. He is the first Heisman Trophy winner to ever win the award at
the University of Alabama. Now, think about the University of Alabama,
Bear Bryant, and the storied program at the university; yet he is the
first recipient of the Heisman Trophy at the University of Alabama.
Many names come to mind at the University of Alabama, many all-
Americans; yet he is the first to accomplish that. And as Congressman
Kildee said, he did so in his sophomore year.
A ``Sports Illustrated'' cover story called Mark ``the Pride of the
Tide.'' He did set an Alabama single-season rushing record of over
1,542 yards. He led the Nation with 38 runs of 10 yards or more, and he
caught 30 passes in addition to that. When the game was on the line,
Mark Ingram was at his best.
What statistics don't measure and what Congressman Guthrie and what
Congressman Kildee have properly emphasized is the person that Mark
Ingram is. You know, in life, it's not so much your accomplishments on
the field. It's what you do with that opportunity. It's what you do
with that talent. And Mark's greatest asset is his spirit. He stands as
an example for all young people of what can be achieved through hard
work, through determination of overcoming adversity and putting others
first.
In his acceptance speech, he put others first. He recognized his four
competitors. He talked about how much he enjoyed getting to meet them,
what fine young men they were; and we know that that's true. We know of
Tim Tebow. We know of all that Tim has done off the field. He is an
inspiration to all of us with his values and his spiritual commitment.
Prior to the Alabama-Texas game, Alabama fans who visited California
had many conversations with the University of Texas fans. Both before
the game, during the game, and after the game, the respect, the
kindness, and the hospitality between those two teams and between their
fans should be an example for all of us. There was such a spirit of
friendliness. And Colt McCoy, many of us learned that he spends as much
as 2 or 3 hours on certain days visiting children with terminal
illnesses and with severe illnesses. What a fine young man. What a fine
young man Tim Tebow is.
Mark Ingram is a better person because of the challenges of those
young men and their examples. I think he will be a better example for
others. And how wonderful it is that our young people can look to
people like Mark Ingram, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy to be role models.
I think the story that Mark has that is a little special is dealing
with the family challenges. Mark has been a model of grace and loyalty.
As a dean's list student, he has balanced his record on the football
field with excellence in the classroom. He demonstrated his humility
and his spirit of sportsmanship during his speech at the Heisman Trophy
award ceremony. He thanked his teachers. He thanked his coaches. He
thanked his teammates. And as I said earlier, he thanked his
competitors and talked about what fine young men they were.
So today I think we not only congratulate Mark Ingram, but we
congratulate Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and college football for producing
so many fine young men that are examples off the field as well as on
the field. And college football is better because of Mark Ingram. It's
better because of them. It's better because of people back in Flint,
Michigan, the grandfather and mother and teachers who made Mark Ingram
the person he is today. And he had the intelligence and the character
to recognize them.
Mark was the most valuable player of the national championship game.
Not only was he that; he was a Heisman
[[Page H53]]
award winner, and he won the national championship. That is something
that no other player has done, no other player in the history of
college football. Matt Leinart of the University of Southern Cal was a
Heisman Trophy winner, and he played for USC in the national
championship game. However, he was not the most valuable player. As I
said, the Alabama and Texas fans came together to support their teams,
two storied programs. They were respectful of each other, and they are
an example of the high plane that college athletes can reach.
{time} 1115
The way that Mark Ingram has conducted himself and represented his
team and the university is perhaps his greatest accomplishment. It is a
source of pride for all supporters of Alabama football but also for
Auburn supporters. I can tell you that we are all, in the State of
Alabama and throughout the country, proud of Mark Ingram. From
President Robert Witt to Coach Nick Saban to all citizens of the State.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, we congratulate Mark Ingram for his
achievements for his hard work. And it did take hard work; it was not
given to him. He has earned every accolade.
Mr. KILDEE. First of all, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) for recognizing the ability and the character of
Mr. Ingram. We are very proud of him in Flint, Michigan, and we are so
happy that Alabama can share our pride.
I thank you for your kind words.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
another gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bonner).
Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I want to personally thank Mr. Kildee on
behalf of Alabama fans all across the Nation for bringing this
important resolution to the House floor today.
Mark Ingram is an exceptional athlete. As my colleagues have noted,
he won the Heisman Trophy for the first time in the history of the
University of Alabama to bring this honor and distinction to our
storied and beloved university. But Mark Ingram is also an outstanding
young man. I know the people of Michigan, and especially the people of
Flint, are proud of what he has accomplished. But people all across
America, especially young people, as we look to so many athletes and
actors and politicians who sometimes disappoint us, here you have a
young man, 19 years old, who on the night that he received the highest
athletic award that can be bestowed upon a college football player,
stood with tears in his eyes and proudly thanked God, thanked his
family, thanked even his teachers, the professors at the University of
Alabama for helping to give him this opportunity. He thanked, as my
friend from Kentucky said, the offensive line and the quarterback and
the others who helped make this not just an individual award but a team
award.
As I think about my own children, my 14-year-old daughter, Lee, and
my 11-year-old son, Robins, I like to know there are young role models
like Mark Ingram out there for children all across America to be proud
of and to look up to.
Yes, Mark Ingram is a tremendous athlete. And as my colleagues have
already noted, he has already set the single season rushing record at
the University of Alabama, and when you think about the great names who
have played running back--Johnny Musso, Shaun Alexander, and Bobby
Humphrey--that is saying a lot. But Mark Ingram is also a dean's list
student. My sister, Judy, is the provost at the University of Alabama,
the chief academic officer, and she says that the faculty at the
university look at Mark with awe at what he does not only on the
athletic field but in the classroom as well. He is a dean's list
student, and he is certainly setting the highest standard of any
student at the University of Alabama.
So it goes without saying, Madam Speaker, that we are all proud, the
people of Michigan, the people of Alabama, and people all across this
country, that a young man can come to the University of Alabama,
someone who didn't even know if he would be starting at the running
back position at the beginning of the year, and contribute to his team
to win the 13th National Championship and the first ever Heisman
Trophy.
We are proud of Mark Ingram, and I thank the gentleman from Michigan
and the gentleman from Kentucky for allowing all of us to pause for
just a moment and say: We salute you, Mark, we are proud of you, and we
know you have a great future in front of you.
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Bonner for his kind
remarks.
What is exciting to me is that Mark Ingram's family back in Flint is
watching this live right now. Alabama is proud of him; Michigan is
proud of him; and he makes this whole Nation proud of him. His depth of
decency really sets an example for all of us.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mark Ingram was an outstanding young man to watch. I watched most of
the games he played on television, and actually had a chance to see the
BCS game myself. He just seemed like an outstanding person. And like I
said, the people whom I know who are close to the program--my in-laws
live in Alabama--said this couldn't have happened to a better person.
He is a person who exudes leadership on the football field, and I was
told he is not just somebody that you want to just cheer for, but
somebody who you want to be around. That says a lot for him.
I urge the passage of this resolution.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 970.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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